Automatic card-printing press.



No. 875,886. PATENTED JAN. '7, 1908.

W. A. BILLMAN.

AUTOMATIC CARD PRINTING PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 26. 1907.

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W. A. BILLMAN.

AUTOMATIC CARD PRINTING PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 26. 1907.

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By pp I f/W ATTORNEYS WILLIAM ALBERT BILLMAN, OF COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO.

AUTOMATIC CARD-PRINTING PRESS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. '7, 1908.

Application filed April 26- 1907- Serial N0. 370'428- T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, \VILLIAM ALBERT BlLL MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Colorado Springs, in the county of El Paso and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Automatic Card-Printing Press, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in automatic card printing presses, and its object is to provide means for feeding the cards to the printing member of the press one after another in proper sequence and timed with relation to the impressions made on the cards, all under the action of a common driving means whereby an operator has only to see that the reservoir of unprinted cards is properly supplied and that the printed cards are removed from time to time to prevent the receptacle provided for the printed cards from becoming too full.

The invention comprises a type carrier and platen in proper relation one to the other, with means for inking the type between each movement of the latter to make an impression on a card, and the invention also comprises a card reservoir with a card feeding member coacting therewith so as to propel a single card at a time from said reservoir into position to be acted upon by the type. in conjunction with the card reservoir there is provided. means for causing the feeding mechanism to act upon the card to be imprinted through the intermmliary of the next succeeding card, so that the card imprinted is the second in order from the resewoir, and means are provided for preventing a card just projected from the reservoir from returning thereto as the feeding means are retracted to engage a fresh card.

The invention is by no means confined to the points just enumerated, but includes other features of construction which will appear in the following detailed description and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in which drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved machine; Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section thereof; Fig. 3 is a plan view, with parts removed; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the part shown in Fig. 3; and Figs. 5, (S and 7 are detail views of the imting mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a bed-plate 1 mounted upon legs 2 and constituting the main frame or support of the machine.

At the rear end of the bedplate, which in Figs. 1 and 2 corresponds to the right-hand end, are pivoted two brackets 3 to which are secured the ends of two side bars 4 joined at their front ends by suitable cross bars 5, the structure thus formed constituting a frame pivoted to the rear end of the machine. Across the front end of the frame between the cross bars 5 there is a shaft 6 journaled in said cross bars and extending laterally beyond each of them. Similarly located beneath the bed-plate 1 is another shaft 7constituting the power shaft of the machine, and this shaft 7 is journaled in suitable boxes 8 fast on the under side of the bed-plate 1, and on the side of the machine remote from the observer as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2 the shaft 7 carries a fly-wheel 9 to which may be attached a handle for driving the machine manually, or power may be applied to this i shaft either by a belt applied to the fly wheel 9 or to a pulley on the shaft, or in any other manner.

The shaft 7 carries at each end beyond the bed-plate 1 an eccentric 10, which latter is connected to the shalt 6 by means of an eccentric link 1].. It.will be seen that when the shaft 7 is rotated the eccentric 10 will cause the frame composed of the side bars 4; and cross bars 5 to be rocked upon the piv ots of the brackets 3 from and toward the bed-plate l.

Across the front end of the frame 45 and extending backward a distance from the cross bars 5 is a board or plate 12 against l which a type-murying box or form 13 en gages. This box or form 13 is provided at the front and rear with tongues 1 l15 engaged at the front of the machine by a latch 17 and at the rear in a socket formed between a lip 18 formed on a bracket 19 and the aforesaid board or plate 12. Of course, any other means of fastening this type-carrying box or form 13 may be employed. The structure illustrated is simply indicative of means for supporting this box, and may be changed at will.

Rising from the front of the frame 4-5 and attached to the front cross bar 5 is a standard 20, to the upper end of which is journaled a rock shaft 21 carrying a U- shaped frame 22, the legs 23 of which are movable through arcs in planes parallel with the planes of the sides of the standard 20. The rock shaft 21. is secured to the frame 22 l at a short distance from its connecting yoke, as indicated. Fast on each leg 23 of the frame 22 is an ear 24 to which is connected a link 25 extending to a fixed ear 26 fast on or secured to a corresponding front leg 2 of the machine. The standard 29 is movable up and down with the type-carrying frame, and it will be seen that when this type carrying frame is moved upward around the pivots of the brackets 3 the link 25 will cause the legs 23 to move downward around the axis of the rock shaft 21 through an are determined by the length of the links 25. Pivotally connected to the outer ends of the legs 23 are two other links 27, one on each side, pivotally carrying at one end a frame in which are journaled two parallel inking rollers 28, and these links at the other end are connected to rods 29 extending to the yoke portion of the frame 22 and beyond the same through suitable perforations therein. Each rod 29 carries an adjustable collar 30 and between this collar and the yoke portion of the frame 22 each rod 29 is surrounded by a helical spring 31.

Secured to front extensions 32 of the side bars 4 of the type-carrying frame is a curved guide member 33 extending outward and upward and carrying a support 34 in which is journaled an ink disk 35. The structure is such that when the type-carrying frame, made up of the side bars 4 and cross bars 5,

. is moved toward the bed-plate 1, the inking rollers 28 will ride up the member and on to the inking disk 35, and when the type are moved away from a card on which they haveleft an impression these inking rollers are moved downward over the member 33 and under the type box or form 13 and ink the type therein. This latter position is illustrated in Fig. 2. The position of the inking rollers with relation to the inking disk is illustrated in Fig. 1. The inking disk 35 is provided with a central stud 36 passing through a suitable journal bearing in the support 34 and beyond the same has secured to it a ratchet wheel 37. Between the ratchet wheel and the support 34 there is loosely mounted upon the stud 36 a rock arm 38 carrying a pawl 39 in operative relation to the ratchet wheel 37. A cord 40 connected to the arm 38 and passing over a suitable pulley 41 extends to the frame 22 so that when the latter is moved about its pivot it will cause the arm 38 to be actuated in a direction to present the pawl 39 behind a succeeding tooth of the ratchet wheel 37, while a suitable spring 42, or other means for causing the movement of the arm 38, may be provided to actuate the inking disk 35 and present a new surface to the inking rollers 28. At a point between the type form and the pivoted ends of the side bars 4 there is mounted upon the bed-plate 1 a card reservoir or holder 43. The sides of the card holder are secured to side bars 44 extending to a point to the left of the type box or form 13 as viewed in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and. these bars have undercut grooves 45 for the reception of a suitable pad upon which the cards rest while i being imprinted.

Extending under the card receptacle or reservoir and forming a portion of the bottom thereof are two parallel spaced strips 46 reaching approximately to the rear or righthand end of the bed-plate 1 as viewed in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. The front ends of these bars extend a short distance beyond the front of the reservoir, and extending laterally across them is a retaining bar or strip 47 to which the front wall of the reservoir is secured. Under this strip 47 cards from the reservoir must pass, and this strip is at a suitable distance above the ends of the strips 46 to permit the passage of one card at a time from the reservoir toward the pad upon which the card rests when the impression thereon is made. Parallel with the strip 47 is another strip 48, closer to the impression. member of the machine. This last-named strip 48 serves to prevent cards pushed under the strip 47 from escaping from between the two parallel strips 44, and also serves to clamp these latter strips 44 securely to the bed of the machine.

Between the strips 46 is a reciprocating push. or feeding bar 49 lying over a longitudinal slot 50 in the bed-plate, through which slot extends a connecting pin or bolt 51 to one end of a lever 52 pivoted at 53 to the under side of the bed-plate and having its other end connected to a coupling piece 54 receiving one end of a pitman composed of two members 55 and 56 joined at their ends by a turn-buckle 57. This pitman has its member 56 pivotally secured to the cam 10 on the corresponding side of the machine by a bolt 58 so that as the cam rotates the pitman will be reciprocated and through the lever 52 cause the reciprocation of the sliding bar 49.

The end of the bar 49 which coacts with the card reservoir is formed into a T-head 59, and from this T-head there projects a tongue 60 having an inclined upper face and with its lower face in the plane of the bottom of the bar. When the bar 49 is moved toward the right as viewed in the figures the head 59 enters recesses 61 in the ends of the strips 46 and in this position the head 59 forms, together with the strips 46 and the bar 49, the bottom of the card reservoir. At a distance sufliciently remote from the head 59 there is secured to the upper face of the bar 49 a plate 62 having one end normally slightly above the plane of the top surface of the bar 49. This plate 62 is so situated as to be just outside the card reservoir when the bar 49 is in the position whereby its head 59 is in the recesses 61. Now, when the bar 49 is moved toward the left as viewed in the figures, the

stead of feeding it.

projecting edge of the plate 62 will engage the lowermost card in the reservoir 43 and as the bar 49 continues its movement the card will be pushed from said reservoir under the strip 47 and toward the space beneath the type box or form 13. This movement continues until the card under consideration has been pushed entirely free from the reservi ir 43. Now, on the return movement if the bar 49 the card is arrested by engagement with the upper ends of the gravity stops (i3 pivotally supported n the inner faces if the bars 46 adjacent to the delivery face of the reservoir 43. The result of this is that the card remains stationary in the projected position while the bar 49 is withdrawn. Just in front of the cross strip 47 are two inclined blocks 64 in position to receive the end of the card as it drops off from the head 59 of the bar 49 when the latter is moved back to its initial position. W'hen, now, the bar 49 is again moved from its initial position in the direction to feed another card from the reservoir 43, the first card is caught by the head 59 and its edge rests on the tongue 60, thus preventing the card from being caught under the bar 4Q and the latter sliding over it in- Also, the pad upon which the card rests when being imprinted is extended sufliciently to engage under the inclined or wedge-shaped blocks 64. There is now a card in position under the type so that the latter when brought down will imprint thereon. After this occurs, the next card, which is the second card from the reservoir, will engage the freshly imprinted card. and cause it to be moved from oil the front of the machine into a suitable receptacle. The parts are so timed that while the cards are being moved to position the type-carrying member is raised sufficiently to receive the ink from the inking rollers 28, which latter are a sufficient distance above the card which has been pushed into place to avoid touching such card and smearing it. By the time the ink rollers have passed over the type the typecarrying frame starts to descend toward the card which has in the meantime been pushed into place and the card remains stationary while the imprint thereon is being made. The cycle of operations continues indefinitely so long as the machine is in operation; that is, a card is pushed from the reservoir, another card in advance of this card is pushed into position to be imprinted, and the type is being inked, all at about the same time. hen the card-feeding means and the inking rollers are being returned to their initial positions the imprint on the card takes place. All these operations are performed automatically and successively so long as the supply of cards is maintained in the card reservoir ll In order that the various operations may be timed with accuracy the two members 55 and 56 of the pitman before mentioned are threaded for the reception of the tnrn-lmckle 57. The thread on one of these members is coarse and on the other member is fine so that there may be a very deli :ate and accurate adjust ment of the lengthof the pitn'ian so as to very accurately lix the extent of travel of the push-bar t!) with reference to the card reservoir.

'rfith a machine of the character described the cards a re fed in the line of their shorter dimension and. when they are pushed forward by the push bar 49 their ends pass into the undercut grooves 45 and thus serve to hold and guide the cards while they are being imprinted, and they also serve to cause the oncoming card to engage the edge of the card already printed and force the latter out from the machine into a suitable receptacle. It will also be evident that the mechanism for operating the feed bar 49 may be arranged above the bed-plate 1 instead of under the same without in any manner changing the in vention.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacril icing any of the advantages of the invontion.

I claim z-- 1. In a card printing press, a card reservoir, a reciprocatingfeed bar and guide therefor constituting the bottom of the reservoir, gravity stops in the path of the projected. cards for preventing the return movement thereof when the feed bar is retracted, and supporting means for the card for holding the end of the same adjacent to the reservoir above the plane of the bottom of the feed bar but lower than the plane of the top of the feed bar.

2. in a card printing press, a card reservoir, a reciprocating feed bar and guides therefor constituting the bottom of the rescr voir, means for preventing the return movement of a projected card when the feed bar is retracted, and supporting means for the card for holding the end of the same adjacent to the reservoir above the plane of the bottom of the feed bar but lower than the plane of the top of the feed bar.

3. A card printing press comprising a reciprmating feed bar provided with a tongue of less height than the bar, and supports for the end of a projected card adjacent to the card reservoir, supporting said end of the card at a height sullicient to permit the introduction of the tongue of the feed bar under said card and holding said end of the card in the path of the bar back of the tongue.

4-. .ln a card printing press, a reciprocating feed bar, a card reservoir through which said bar is movable, and gravity catches pivoted to fixed portions of the structure on the delivery side of the reservoir, said catches being so pivoted that their upper ends are in the path of and are overridden by the cards when projected from the reservoir and which upper ends move into the path of the cards to prevent return movement of the latter.

5. In a card printing press, a card reser voir, a reciprocating feed bar movable beneath the same, said bar having one end formed with a pushing head and provided with a tongue projecting therefrom of less height than the head, gravity stops adjacent to the delivery end of the reservoir for preventing the return of a projected card, and inclined supports for theend of the card nearest the reservoir for holding said end sufficiently elevated to permit the tongue of the feed bar to engage thereunder.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afliXed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses:

WILLIAM ALBERT BILLMAN.

Vitnesses J. M. STIRES, J. G. CLARK. 

